by Anonymous
What follows is a short, thirteen page meditation on the Essence of Religion. This is a piece of writing that has been in the works now, in various forms, for about ten years. It has, admittedly, been a real struggle to produce - largely because I was undecided about how to deliver it. My initial forms were more strictly esoteric and kept more rigidly to the idea of brotherhood; however, I realized that this wouldn't be particularly useful. Sharing the idea of brotherhood with Esotericians is, largely, senseless in that they already know the idea of brotherhood. It would be like preaching to the choir. As such, if I wanted to affect any real commotion, it would be imperative that I strove to reach a wider audience-base - and to do that, I would need to make the ideas more accessible. The form changed to meet that demand. Though the underlying esoteric principle is still the Law of Unity, the Law of Laws, and the idea of brotherhood, I presented it through the lens of the Essence of Religion.
As part of the effort to make it accessible, I made considerable use of world scripture - and especially Christian scripture (yes, I am well aware of the fact that this is a debatable point). This is not because I personally thought that world scripture makes the most sense; rather, this is because world scripture is something that many people will be more familiar - and comfortable - with as opposed to Esoterics. As I had mentioned in response to Dell's criticism of The Organism of Humanity, part of the game we play here is learning how to speak the language of the people we want to reach. It would be nice if we didn't have to use such things; however, depending on our audience, we might have to. The growth and development of consciousness is a process, after all. We cannot injudiciously hammer people with ideas and concepts that are, altogether, foreign to them and expect that they will appreciate them rightly; hence, my method.
That said, I should probably stop nattering and begin posting the work. Enjoy.
NOTE: The Essence of Religion begins and ends somewhat similar to The Organism of Humanity - this is because, originally, the analogy was part of the same monstrous piece of writing. The thirteen pages here are only a sliver of the amount of work I have done over the past ten years.
NOTE: It appears that I am well over the character limit for this post. As such, I will post it in parts.
The Essence of Religion
PICTURE (Rose Cross)
Anonymous
Note
What follows is a short meditation on the Essence of Religion. It makes considerable use of world scripture – and especially Christian scripture - to support its claims. This is not because the author is a Christian or prefers Christianity over other religions; rather, it is because the author is more familiar with Christian scripture than those of other religions. That said, this relatively short meditation is generally applicable to all religions.
Preface
Introduction
I will, perchance allow myself this one little indulgence: to write a preface to this short meditation. Admittedly, this piece of writing has been a long time coming. It has taken over ten years from the inception of the idea to the realization of this piece of writing. Thus, I have spent quite a number of years contemplating the idea and refining this piece of writing. That said, the history of this piece of writing is a history of failed attempts. I had made a number of attempts to write this short meditation throughout the years; however, I was never quite satisfied with the results.
Unity
Of all the great ideas I have touched upon in my life thus far, none has been greater than the idea of unity. Unity, love, and brotherhood; goodness, law, order, and harmony. This idea is, in my own understanding, the source and wellspring of goodness; this idea is the germ of every virtue. Besides this, Unity is not just a nice idea; rather, it is a very real force capable of effecting change in the world. As such, it is my most sincere hope that I can, in some small way even, making a lasting contribution to the realization of a sense of unity or brotherhood – a sense that we, as a people, so desperately need to cultivate. It is clear to me that, if we are to survive the 21st century, we must necessarily come together as one. Unity, love, and brotherhood must become our modus operandi. The welfare of all must become our greatest concern. Anything less, and we risk the destruction of our species. How close we are to the edge is terrifying – for those of us who can see into the distance, it is clear that we teeter on the brink of a world war the likes of which this world has never seen. The only thing missing is the powder keg; however, it is not too late to make a change – a change of hearts and minds. Unity, love, and brotherhood; goodness, law, order, and harmony. These have the power to transform our world into the very paradise that we have always dreamt of. If we work diligently, we can achieve it – the “Kingdom of God on Earth”; however, if we continue to stick our heads in the sand, then we must be prepared to endure a hell on earth. My eyes are open enough to see that the realization of a sense of unity or brotherhood is as inevitable as it is necessary – the only question now is: when will it come to pass? I hope and pray that this short meditation of mine will serve to rouse yet a few more brothers from their slumber and spurn them to unity, love, and brotherhood. I hope and pray that this short meditation will serve to inspire yet a few more brothers to exhibit that brotherly love which is the hallmark of humanity. Let us learn to set aside our petty differences and cooperate for the greater good. Let us revel in our diversity, our uniqueness, and all the while keep mindful of our shared essence. After all, we are all in this together. We will survive together or we will die together. As one.
Introduction
“We have flown the air like birds and swum the sea like fishes, but have yet to learn the simple act of walking the earth like brothers” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
In a global age such as ours, where we are hard-pressed to solve a variety of significant global issues ranging from the escalation of tensions between various bodies to a looming food and water shortage, this short meditation is imperative. If we are to survive the 21st century, then the idea of the brotherhood of man must, of necessity be realized by the vast majority – and especially by those who would find themselves in positions of power and influence. This idea must become the sole impetus of action in global affairs and effectively supplant the selfish tendencies which have, hitherto, been the dominant factors. It is cooperation that will solve the problems, not competition – the sooner we learn that lesson, the better.
Reasonably, the very first step towards successfully addressing the variety of significant global issues we are facing at this particular juncture is to foster a sense of global unity or brotherhood. As this sense of global unity or brotherhood grows, so too will a sense of collective responsibility which will serve as an impetus for action. The first step is to promote the idea of the brotherhood of man. It is the love of our brothers that will flower forth into that concern for their well-being. As it currently stands, most attempts to address these significant global issues are doomed to failure in the long-run by virtue of the fact that the sense of unity or brotherhood was not emphasized first and foremost. So long as we continue to spend an inordinate amount of time and resources squabbling over our petty differences, there will be no enduring solution to these issues.
One of the most important factors in promoting the idea of the brotherhood of man is religion or, more precisely, the Essence of Religion - what the mystics and saints, of all faiths and in all ages, have called "the (all-embracing) love of God". The Essence of Religion serves to promote the idea of the brotherhood of man in a most efficacious manner, ennoble its adherents, and inspire acts of goodwill. The heart of religion is the love of our fellow man, our brothers. As it is said:
“Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133, KJV).
Perhaps this seems unlikely, given that religion has historically been implicated in nearly every single atrocity imaginable. It is no small wonder, then, that droves of people the world over have forsaken religion, for they tire of the hypocrisy of theological morality. Who could blame them? They long for something more reasonable. The history of religion has, hitherto, been a history of tyranny and violence. That said, the real culprit is not the Essence of Religion - a feeling anent the brotherhood of life; rather, it is the rampant intolerance and sectarianism being impressed upon the adherents of a faith in the form of rigid theological dogmas. The one thing that ought to be made sufficiently clear, then, is the difference between the forms of religion and the Essence of Religion.
The purpose of this short treatise, then, is to examine the Essence of Religion and to promote, in as clear and concise a manner as possible, the idea of the brotherhood of man.
Thanks for your time,
Sincerely,
Anonymous
END OF PART I of IV